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¹ Hey, boys! It's me, Paul. I've got Timothy with me and he says to tell y'all hello as well.

I'm reaching out to all of God's cowboys around Philippi who ride for Christ Jesus. This includes the church jigger and wagon bosses.

² Here's hoping all of y'all are riding with grace and peace that comes from God the Father and his son Jesus Christ.

Doling Out Prayers and Thanks

³ Every time y'all cross my mind I give thanks to God. ⁴ When I'm praying, I ask God to take care of y'all and my heart is filled with gladness. ⁵ Y'all have been cowboying with me since you first heard the good news of Jesus Christ. ⁶ And there ain't no doubt God is going to make top hands out of all of y'all. He ain't gonna quit growing you until his work is finished and Jesus comes riding back over the hill to get us all.

⁷ This is the way any cowboy should feel about his crew. I care about y'all deeply because y'all have been with me through thick and thin, through brush and plains, through sunshine and chains. We have special favor from God while we spread the good news and gather the strays. ⁸ Only God could tell you how much I long to ride with y'all again.

⁹ My prayer for y'all is this, y'all keep growing, knowing, and understanding. ¹⁰ Y'all have to do this so you'll be able to know what is truly important in this life. Only by doing this will you be able to sit tall in the saddle when Jesus comes riding back. Then you will be able to show you are pure and blameless. ¹¹ I pray y'all reap the benefits of what Jesus did for you by becoming the cowboys who Jesus called you to be. This will bring God much praise and glory.

Paul's Pain Paves the Way

¹² Y'all need to understand that everything that has happened to me has paved the way for the good news to spread like a wildfire through old grass. ¹³ Everyone here knows I am in chains because I ride for the brand that belongs to Christ Jesus. The whole palace guard knows it too. ¹⁴ Because I am in chains, most of the other cowboys didn't become cowards, they became courageous. They are bolder now spreading the Gospel than they ever were before. These are real men and women riding for the Lord.

¹⁵ Now, it is true that some want fame and glory for preaching, but just because there are a few like that, it doesn't mean they all are. ¹⁶ The ones who ride for the right reason do so because they have the love of God in their heart. They know the only reason I'm here is because I'm a cowboy for God. ¹⁷ Those others who preach for the wrong reasons, they do so to make trouble for me. They are cowards who talk big when I'm in jail and cannot get to them. ¹⁸ But that doesn't matter! The only thing that matters is that Jesus Christ is preached. It doesn't matter if a person's motives are true or false. If Jesus is preached, that's all that matters. This fact gives me peace and a smile on my face.

And there ain't no one who can keep the smile off my face. ¹⁹ I know y'all are praying for me and God is going to take care of everything one way or another through Jesus Christ. ²⁰ You want to know what I think about while in prison? It's not getting out. It's that I will not be ashamed of Jesus. I pray every day that I will have the right amount of courage. So that when the time comes, it won't matter if I'm to live or die. I will do so courageously. ²¹ To me, living means I get to keep riding for Jesus, but dying means I get to go be with him . . . and that is even better. ²² If I live, I'll keep riding and gathering every single day. Come to think of it, I want both of these! I want to ride for Jesus and be with him. Which one should I choose? ²³ I'm torn between the two. I want to die so I can be with Jesus, which is far better as you all know. ²⁴ But honestly, it'd be better for all of y'all if I were to remain here and help y'all out in any way I can. ²⁵ I've realized the harder way is the right way. I am convinced I will stick around and give y'all a hand. ²⁶ And when I get back, y'all will have even more reasons to ride with pride in Christ Jesus because of what he has done through me.

A Ride Worthy of the Gospel

²⁷ Whatever happens, ride in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ. Then, whether I get to come see y'all or not, there won't be any doubt y'all are riding for the brand. Y'all will be riding together through the Holy Spirit, sharing the same faith, and helping each other. ²⁸ Only in this way will you be able to keep from being afraid of all of those who will oppose you. This courage that will be instilled in you will be a clear message to them that they will be destroyed and you will be saved by God. ²⁹ To cowboy for God, you've got to understand you've been called to believe in him, but also suffer for him. ³⁰ We are all in this together. Y'all have seen how much I have struggled, but I'm still in the saddle.